成都映象 Chengdu Impression — Restaurant in Arcadia

We went back to Chengdu Impression again, with bottles of wine. The pity was that everyone that night felt the dishes were not as good as before. It made you feel they had changed the chef.

Let's talk about the food:

椒麻竹筍 Bamboo Shoots in Szechuan Pepper & Scallion Sauce - $13.99 Obviously not fresh bamboo, in a weird green sauce. Spicy, but without the numbness from Szechuan pepper. 5/10

映像蘸水牛筋 Marinated Beef Tendon with Chili Sauce - $22.99 Hard to bite. The chili oil dipping sauce was tasteless, with no flavor or aroma. 5/10

農家小炒肉 Wok-Fried Sliced Pork Belly with Shishito Pepper - $22.99 It was okay, but why use Shishito? More expensive than normal Chinese green peppers and tasteless. 7/10

酸菜魚 Sliced Snakehead Fish in Spicy Pickle Broth - $32.99 Full of pre-prepared flavor, and the fish felt the same. 5/10

蒜香辣子雞 Dry Fried Diced Chicken with Chili and Garlic - $23.99 Very good. We ordered it again. 9/10

麻婆豆腐 Mapo Tofu (with minced beef) - $16.99 Good, classic, with no drawback. I still couldn't find the minced beef.

黑椒杏鮑菇牛柳 Wok-Fried Beef with King Oyster Mushroom in Black Pepper Sauce - $23.99 The worst dish. The presentation was not clean. I don't mean the plate was dirty, but the entire output was not neat for a good restaurant. It looked like a sloppy roadside stall dish. 3/10

乾鍋培根花菜 Dry Pot Cauliflower with Bacon - $16.99 Acceptable, but with no Wok Hei (鑊氣) at all. 5/10

紅糖糍粑 Crispy Sticky Rice Cake with Brown Sugar Dip - $10.99 Good, the best of the night. 10/10

紅糖冰粉 Iced Jelly with Brown Sugar Syrup - $5.99 Good, my favorite dessert anywhere. 9/10 ----------------------last review--------------------------------------------------------

酸辣凉粉 Hot & Sour Jelly Noodle - $12.99 The texture was excellent, with a perfect balance between softness and firmness. It was spicier than average, with a good flavor and the strong fragrance of Sichuan red oil. 8/10

青椒拌茄子 Eggplant in Green Pepper Sauce - $12.99 It was acceptable, but the eggplant wasn't as good as what you'd typically find in China. 7/10

夫妻肺片 Sliced Beef & Beef Tripe in Chili Sauce - $23.99 Very spicy, with the beef and tripe sliced thinly to allow the flavors to penetrate the meat. 8/10

仔薑田雞 Stewed Bullfrogs in Spicy Ginger Broth - $36.99 There was an unpleasant smell, likely because the bullfrogs were frozen, not fresh. The ginger flavor was barely noticeable. Not recommended. 0/10

家常豆瓣鱸魚 Whole Bass with Spicy Bean Paste Sauce - $48.99 The taste was excellent, textbook-level cooking with a mild spice level. It was very good, though a bit on the expensive side. 9/10

油渣蓮白 Wok-Fried Cabbage with Crispy Lard - $15.99 The "crispy lard" had too much meat and wasn't the usual golden color. The stir-fry didn't have enough heat, which resulted in a lack of 鑊氣 (wok hei). 4/10

鐵鍋小炒肥腸 Wok-Fried Pork Intestine with Chili - $22.99 What a brilliant idea to cook pork intestine with rice cake! I'm familiar with combining two traditionally unrelated foods, but I would have never imagined pairing rice cake and intestine. It's just those two ingredients—nothing else—but the taste was amazing. The intestines were soft, and the rice cakes were soft too, but in a different way. Really good. 8/10

麻婆豆腐 Mapo Tofu (with minced beef) - $16.99 Very classic texture and flavor, with no noticeable drawbacks. However, I couldn't really taste the minced beef. 8/10

蘿蔔燉牛肋條 Beef Rib Finger & White Radish Soup - $28.99 The best dish of the night. The beef was incredibly tender and juicy, without the typical overcooked texture of...

We used to love this restaurant so much, but there must be a change of management or they ran out of money due to pandemic, everything about this place has changed. When you ask the server why they serve in plastic cups, plates and bowls for our eating utensils, he just shrugged his shoulders and walked away. We stood up and left at first but the manager decided to give us proper plates so we stayed. The female waitress was so much nicer and give good service, so I give an extra star for her. The most popular braised pork belly and the cold noodle in hot oil are no longer in the menu, that was really why I brought my friends there for. And then the food prices ain’t cheap, and the environment looks so modern and well decorated, so why serve in plastic (not environmentally friendly at all). They probably can do better with placement and service by the male waiter. Train him, boss! Thank god the food still taste authentic! Still has the Sichuan flavor. I would give five stars but the plastic table placement, our favorite food no longer on the menu, and the shoulder shrugging waiter...

Came here for dinner on a Sunday evening at 5PM and was promptly seated. There is an upper floor to the restaurant for large groups that can be reserved. We had a small group of 3 and ordered several dishes to share. They were all a hit!

5/5 Szechuan chicken cold noodles was refreshing and had the perfect amount of spicy, savory, and texture.

5/5 Mapo tofu with minced beef was perfectly seasoned. Not too overpowering with spice or too salty. Tofu was the right texture because it held its shape well and did not disintegrate. So tasty with rice.

5/5 Dry fried diced chicken with chili and garlic is my favorite Szechuan dish. The chicken was perfectly fried and complimented the seasoning well. Spices was just right.

4/5 Stir-fried seasonal vegetables was baby bok choy with garlic. Texture was crispy and not too soggy. A nice refresher to accompany the spicy dishes.

Highly recommended for a visit if you're craving something...